Makinde chides Atiku over silence on Ibadan explosion

• He thanked Obi for his visit as he did not allow politics to affect his relationship with others

Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, on Monday, says the silence of former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, on the Ibadan explosion is disturbing as it shows the kind of person he is.

He said that out of the three major candidates who contested the 2023 presidential election, only the Peoples Democratic Party candidate, Atiku, has not reached out to him to commiserate with the people of the state over the incident.

Makinde voiced his concerns in Ibadan when he hosted the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, during his visit to the Governor’s Office, to commiserate with the government and the good people of the state.

He thanked Obi for his visit as he did not allow politics to affect his relationship with others, adding that there was time for politics and there was time for one to put one’s differences aside and embrace humanity.

The governor said, “Let me use this opportunity to thank the former Governor of Anambra and presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi for the visit.

“I thank him because politics didn’t seep into this. You came here to commiserate with us over the explosion. Investigation is going on. It was simply illegal miners storing explosives in an environment where they shouldn’t be.

“It is a place where it’s meant for people to live in. It’s not a mining site. So, all the lapses that allowed such to happen have been looked into.

“I am particularly grateful because the musketeers that went for the presidential election have reached out to me. The president has called me, you have reached out to me, but my own party candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has not called or even sent a text message.

“And I am saying it openly, so that our leaders will know that there is time for politics, you have a time for governance and you have a time for humanity. So, we want to say thank you so much, sir. We appreciate this visit.”

Five people were confirmed dead while 77 sustained varying degrees of injuries and 58 houses were damaged during the explosion that rocked Adeji, Old Bodija in Ibadan.